95pc of remote workers believe home broadband is key, says ComReg

31 Mar 2021

Image: © phonlamaiphoto/Stock.adobe.com

In the latest Connectivity Survey from ComReg, three-quarters of respondents said they are satisfied with their home broadband.

ComReg has said that the results of its latest Connectivity Survey demonstrate the important role broadband services will play in a remote workforce. Of the 1,480 people surveyed, 79pc said they consider home broadband to be important. This figure rose to 95pc for people who are working remotely on a regular basis.

ComReg found that three-quarters of the people surveyed are satisfied with their home broadband. However, 45pc said they would benefit from faster services and 72pc would likely take up a faster option if it became available in their area. This is an increase from the figure presented in a previous ComReg report, in which 50pc of participants said they would spend more to get better quality services.

People living in Dublin were more likely to be satisfied with their broadband connection. A similar trend was highlighted in the previous report, which said that 81pc of urban residents were happy with their services and 68pc in rural areas were not.

Participants said the most important things to consider when choosing a broadband provider are trust, price and download speed. Pain points voiced by those having issues with their service were in line with these priorities; they were mainly related to slow speeds and unreliable connections.

Less frequent problems reported by respondents included not being able to get online at all, certain websites failing to download fully and emails failing to send.

What people are using their broadband for

At a combined total of 78pc, the majority of participants said they use their broadband service for internet browsing often or very often. When it comes to video calls, 27pc said they use the service very often and 32pc use it often. Just 14pc said they hardly ever use their broadband for video calls.

Respondents said they are less likely to use their home broadband often for online training and education (24pc), professional networking (20pc) and job searching (15pc).

Other things participants used their service for often were emailing (37pc), social media (32pc), internet banking (45pc) and shopping (27pc).

Number of devices connected

ComReg noted that having a smartphone connected to home broadband services is “almost universal” and that most participants also had at least one laptop, tablet and smart TV connected.

Only one-quarter said they have a desktop computer connected, while 39pc have a laptop, 34pc have a gaming console and 37pc have two smartphones connected. 22pc said they have a smart TV hooked up to their broadband.

The online shift

ComReg commissioner Robert Mourik said: “We’re all spending a lot of time at home these days, with more people than ever before going online. ComReg’s latest Connectivity Survey highlights the importance of telecommunication services to our everyday lives.

“While we are pleased that the vast majority of people are satisfied with their services, some people continue to experience issues. Our research also highlights the potential benefits of switching service providers to get a better service.

“ComReg offers a comparison tool and advice on its website to enable consumers to make informed decisions and choose and use telecommunications services with confidence.”

Lisa Ardill was careers editor at Silicon Republic until June 2021

editorial@siliconrepublic.com